JPH 10-141191A published by the Japan Patent Office in 1996 proposes an ignition device which ignites a fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine through application of non-equilibrium plasma discharge. The non-equilibrium plasma discharge is also called low-temperature plasma discharge or corona discharge.
The ignition device according to the prior art comprises two electrodes which effect a high-voltage discharge in the combustion chamber, and a pulse power source portion for impressing a short-pulse-width high-voltage alternating current between the electrodes to cause the non-equilibrium plasma discharge between the electrodes, and then generates equilibrium plasma discharge due to thermalization plasma, thereby igniting the fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. The equilibrium plasma discharge due to the thermalization plasma is also called high-temperature plasma discharge or arc discharge.